# What is Aura?

Aura Finance is a protocol built on top of the [Balancer system](https://app.balancer.fi/#/) to provide maximum incentives to Balancer liquidity providers and `BAL` stakers (into [`veBAL`](https://forum.balancer.fi/t/introducing-vebal-tokenomics/2512)) through social aggregation of `BAL` deposits and Aura’s native token.

For `BAL` stakers, Aura provides a seamless onboarding process to `veBAL`, by creating a tokenised wrapper token called `auraBAL` that represents the `80/20 BPT` locked up for the maximum time in VotingEscrow ([read more about what this means](https://forum.balancer.fi/t/introducing-vebal-tokenomics/2512)). This can be staked to receive existing rewards (`BAL` and `USDC`) from Balancer, in addition to a share of any BAL earned by Aura (read more about [the fees](https://docs.aura.finance/aura/what-is-aura/fees)), and additional `AURA`. This minting process is irreversible however users can trade their `auraBAL` back to `BAL` through an incentivised liquidity pool.

{% content-ref url="what-is-aura/for-usdbal-stakers" %}
[for-usdbal-stakers](https://docs.aura.finance/aura/what-is-aura/for-usdbal-stakers)
{% endcontent-ref %}

For Liquidity providers, Aura abstracts complexity of depositing into the Balancer gauge system, providing a smooth onboarding process to all Balancer gauge deposits. Aura allows depositors to achieve a high boost through the protocol owned `veBAL` while also accumulating additional `AURA` rewards.

{% content-ref url="what-is-aura/for-liquidity-providers" %}
[for-liquidity-providers](https://docs.aura.finance/aura/what-is-aura/for-liquidity-providers)
{% endcontent-ref %}

The `AURA` token acts as a governance and incentivisation tool within the ecosystem. Locked `AURA` tokens will have governance rights in the system and will be able to vote using the protocol owned `veBAL` voting power as well as on internal proposals.

{% content-ref url="what-is-aura/for-usdaura-lockers" %}
[for-usdaura-lockers](https://docs.aura.finance/aura/what-is-aura/for-usdaura-lockers)
{% endcontent-ref %}


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